#MCM: Adam Scott

Adam Scott on Parks and Rec and his prosthetic penis.

Before winning a place in the hearts of the masses as Parks and Recreation state auditor Ben Wyatt, Adam Scott had a career full of dry, self-deprecating that-guy roles (including our favorite deadpan cater waiter Henry Pollard on Party Down). Now that he's graduated to dry, self-deprecating leading man, his dance card's full (purely metaphorically, that is—he's really not into dancing). Most recently, he and Jason Schwartzman stripped down to nothing but prosthetic penises for The Overnight, in theaters now, which Scott produced with his wife Naomi and co-stars Taylor Schilling. Come September, he'll appear in the all-star gangster thriller Black Mass and one-night-stand comedy Sleeping With Other People. While on an errand run with his son, Graham (a total backseat interviewee, if you ask me), Scott gave us a call to talk about The Bachelorette, Comic Con, and—after being bullied into it by Graham—his love for video games.

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Harper's BAZAAR: Where are you driving to?

Adam Scott: Right now my son, Graham, and I are driving to Light Bulbs Unlimited.

HB: What a treat.

AS: It's fun for anybody but especially for an eight-year-old. He's really excited.

HB: Has your eight-year-old son seen The Overnight?

AS: Absolutely not.

HB: That'll be an interesting one for him one day.

AS: Yeah, it's going to be a conversation.

HB: Was there a thrill in wearing a prosthetic penis?

AS: I think Jason and I were both a lot more comfortable than we thought we were going to be. We were sort of dreading that day, and then we put them on, we're both like, "You know what? This isn't actually ours." It was like wearing a very interesting pair of shorts.

HB: Who kept the prosthetics?

AS: I think Patrick [Kack-Brice], the director, has them. I don't know what he's going to do with them.

HB: Nudity aside, The Overnight is about the awkwardness of making new friends. Any weird stories behind how you met yours?

AS: Not really. Naomi and I have been lucky as far as our kids' friends' parents go, but we've heard horror stories. Sometimes you find yourself in someone's house, and you're just like, "What? How did I end up here?"

HB: What do you watch on TV?

AS: Rectify is really good. The Bachelorette this season is extraordinary.

HB: Who are you rooting for?

AS: Uh, Nick, of course.

HB: I don't actually watch.

AS: Oh, what's wrong with you?

HB: I'm pretty ashamed.

AS: It's so good.

HB: What I did watch religiously, and now miss sorely, though is Party Down.

AS: It was just such a fun time. I really miss the people. It's been many years now since we've finished the show, and whenever we see each other it's right back to where we left off.

HB: Do you remember your first-ever acting gig?

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AS: Yeah. It was guest-starring part on this pilot for MTV called Dead at 21. I was a kid who had a microchip in his head, and I was going to die in, like, 24 hours, and I had to warn the lead of the show that he had a microchip in his head. Some weird nonsense like that.

HB: Did you have any non-acting jobs before that?

AS: I worked at Johnny Rockets. For one day. I had to quit because they said that anytime a particular song comes on the jukebox, all the servers have to stop and do this special sing-along and dance, and I just knew that I wouldn't be returning. I also worked at an antique store at one point. I did just about anything to pay the rent for a while.

HB: If not the Johnny Rockets special, what's your go-to dance move?

AS: I think my go-to move would be taking a quick nap.

HB: So it's really more performance art than dancing.

AS: Exactly.

HB: Graham is eight, and your daughter, Frankie, is six. And what are you favorite things to do with them other than shopping for light bulbs, of course.

AS: Well, I think bringing them on very grown-up, super boring errands is the number one. I just like staying at home and eating and watching movies and running around in the back yard. Whenever we get a chance to be at home together, that seems to be where we're happiest. Oh—[consults with Graham, who is in the backseat]—my son wants me to say playing video games.

AS: They're all hilarious—I mean, look at who you're talking about. Aubrey is the most insane out of all of them, but they're all professional class clowns, you know?

HB: You look perpetually 25. What's your secret?

AS: Oh my god, I've never been told that. Thank you so much. Boy. I wish I could say lots of sleep, but I don't get lots of sleep. Boy, I don't know. I'm going to take that to the grave though—the fact that Bazaar said I look young. That's terrific.

HB: What's your biggest indulgence?

AS: Today, it's going to be light bulbs. You know what I do? I buy a lot of Blue-rays, and I never watch them, which is so stupid. I just like owning the particular movies and knowing I could watch them at any point, and I never end up even opening them. But I like having them. I need to stop.

HB: How do you relax?

AS: Again, my son wants me to say play video games. I'm not the one who plays lots of video games in the family, but I do enjoy playing Minecaft with my son. That is actually a really fun way to relax.

HB: You're starring with Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis in Sleeping with Other People this September. What's your role?

AS: I have a few more movies that I'm in coming up this year, including Black Mass (September) and Krampus (December). I think Krampus is going to be really cool. I'm going to Comic Con tomorrow for that.

HB: Does your son get to go to Comic Con?

AS: No—I would take him, but I'm working the entire day, so there's no time to go do anything.

Graham Scott: I don't care! I don't care!

HB: What is the craziest and most surprising costume you've seen at Comic Cons past?

AS: I've seen a big dude wearing the Princess Leia from the Return of the Jedi costume, and it really freaked me out.

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